Science and the public self

Scientists employed by agencies of the US government (and by extension, tho se working at universities who are recipients of federal grants) have disti nctive responsibilities to the community that supports their work. Traditio nally, such public scientists retreated behind a veil of objectivity though t to define scientific knowledge. But this approach today fails on both epi stemological and political grounds. Most striking is the fact that the very stance of principled distance from societal debates has opened the scienti st to charges of irrelevance. What is the distinctive role of federal scien ce agencies in society? Is there a way out of the dilemma in which governme nt scientists are seen as irrelevant, or if relevant, biased? It is argued here that the notion of a public self offers a means out of this dilemma. ( C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.